Concurso de Design de Frascos de Perfume

por: Miguel Matos

Frascos Kenzo desenhados por Karim Rashid.

Desenhar um frasco de perfume é por vezes como criar uma obra de arte. Muitos frascos de perfume se tornam em imagens icônicas com memórias associadas. O frasco de perfume pode refletir tendências na sociedade e na moda. Os museus de perfume nunca se esquecem de incluir certos frascos como símbolos tanto das marcas como daquilo que está lá dentro. Há nomes que ficarão para sempre ligados ao mundo da cultura do perfume. Designers como René Lalique, ou o moderno Pierre Dinand, ou o surpreendente Karim Rashid, são artistas comprovados com o direito de verem seu trabalho exposto em museus de arte e design em todo o mundo.

Desenho  de frasco de perfume representando um pendente que simula um frasco snuff Chinês.

René Lalique, 1895-1900

A International Perfume Bottle Association está preparando sua convenção de 2016 em Portland, Oregon, e um dos muitos excitantes eventos que terão lugar será o Perfume Bottle Design Contest. Esta competição está aberta a todos os que quiserem participar ao submeterem um projeto de design para um belo e inovador frasco. As candidaturas mais valorizadas serão expostas na convenção da International Perfume Bottle Association em Portland, Oregon de 27 de Abril a 1 de Maio de 2016.

O frasco de Paco Rabanne Calandre é um design icônico de Pierre Dinand. Imagem cortesia de Puig.

Haverá prêmios para os melhores designs, que serão atribuídos no Sábado, dia 30 de Abril de 2016 no Marriott Downtown Waterfront em Portland, Oregon. Os vencedores serão selecionados pelos visitantes da convenção da International Perfume Bottle e as fotos serão publicadas na edição de verão da revista Perfume Bottle Quarterly. O desafio é real e o relógio está correndo, por isso não adiem. Desenhem e criem um frasco de perfume original. Ele pode ser feito de qualquer material (vidro, metal, porcenala, madeira, etc). Junto com o design, deverá constar um resumo concetual e explicação dos métodos e processos criativos.

Materiais inovadores foram usados por Pierre Dinand ao desenhar para Calandre e Obsession.

Fonte: pierre-dinand.com

Agora os prêmios:

1º Lugar: Prêmio de $500 em dinheiro, um ano de assinatura da International Perfume Bottle Association e uma foto que será usada na capa da revista de verão 2016 Perfume Bottle Quarterly.

2º Lugar: Prêmio de $250 em dinheiro e o design aparecerá na edição de verão de 2016 da revista Perfume Bottle Quarterly.

3º Lugar: Prêmio de $100 e o design aparecerá na edição de verão de 2016 da revista Perfume Bottle Quarterly.

Valeria Bianco design: Kenzo Summer

Re-design estrutural da embalagem do frasco de perfume de Parfum d' Etê de Kenzo.

Use estas imagens de criações famosas para motivação ou inspiração e comece a desenhar o seu frasco de perfume. O prazo limite para submeter fotos do frasco que desenhar é 1 de Abril de 2016. Todos os concorrentes deverão envias as suas candidaturas para President@perfumebottles.org, fornecendo nome e endereço assim como uma descrição do processo criativo.

Leia mais sobre a International Perfume Bottle Association NESTE ARTIGO.

A picture is worth a thousand words - The Fragrantica photo contest

by: Stefanie Jähn

A picture is worth a thousand words, and words are just sometimes lacking when it comes to the description of a perfume. Therefore, we have prepared a photo contest for you!

Pull out your camera, whether mobile or SLR

Run to the camera and your favorite bottle(s) and off you go! Whether cell phone camera, or SLR, stage the bottles and show us pictures inspired by how the scents smell for you, or what mood they convey for you. Whether a vanilla scent surrounded by vanilla pods, the clean smell in the laundry basket, or color schemes and light games, your creativity knows no bounds. Multiple entries are welcome! Images may be composed of one or more bottles.

Your creativity knows no bounds

You can easily join the fun, visit the competition thread here to share your images.Whoever wants to can add a few words of explanation, but that is of course not mandatory. We will recognize our favorite pictures in an article on our homepage. The lucky photographer will be rewarded with a small gift! Competition ends 2/29/16.

Disclaimer: By participating in our contest you inherently give Fragrantica the right to publish your photos. Please see our Terms of Service.

Pictures:
Annso t "New Toy" via Flickr
Jean Francois Gornet "Parfum dans la vitrine", via Flickr

Rush. To Be a Legend

by: Juliett Ptoyan

It was, now is and will be a long scarlet scarf, lingering from the shoulders, which can not fail to attract attention - and attracts it more than any diamonds, furs, cars and other glamour markers of the beginning of the 2000s. In fact, it is surely the scarf, and red lipstick, and stilettos - all that we could consider as 'hot' 20 years ago, and that continues to be a feast for the eyes nowadays.

It came just in time: the last year of the dangerous 90s, the first Gucci perfumery project under Tom Ford's direction, two years after the murder of Maurizio Gucci - everything exactly timed; it wouldn't have been accepted in the deep 80s or washy early nineties. The best time for it was acetate, hectic 2000s that brought us Tumulte, Cinema,Amor Amor, Flower by Kenzo and other similar juices - contrast, bright, fierce and which make us more interesting than we are.

15 years ago it tricked me, appearing at an ordinary family party emanating from the body of a woman who, for me, had always been a standard of noble beauty: bright, yet modern and organized. It seemed like the perfect sillage of her true self, her own nature; to imagine something better for her was impossible, and not necessary; it was an absolute delight. All these years he kept coming back to me, as if flirting and hinting - I needed time to learn its language; needed to grow up to it - just to have an opportunity to evaluate it not from the point of an exalted child who had just encountered the most precious scent ever.

Its packaging is instantly recognizable, and after 17 years has become almost neutral for the eye of a perfumery maniac like me; it's ideal in terms of the transmission of the heart of its contents: Rush is a pure color, fireworks; a burst of light. The vinyl red box is a videotape for adults; a matchbox with live fire inside; and a pill box which containts not vitamins but pepper uppers [Rush is also the name of the popular 80s poppers]. Ford, an architect by training, once said that this bottle reflected his professional ambitions.

Rush becomes even more interesting when you get to know his background: there were Gucci fashion colections with aggressive, sexy minimalism, color blockinf and emphasis on texture; the touch of Tom Ford, who, in general, restored the brand to life; of course, pop culture (Eros Ramazzotti, Ricky Martin with his Livin' la Vida Loca; Enrique Iglesias, Britney Spears, acid raves); finally, we cannot miss perfumery trends of the late 90's: rich flowers, extra saturation, perfumers playing with freshness.

 

Red was a reflection of this culture - and, of course, one of the most bizarre and fascinating reflections, I must say: it is like a kaleidoscope, that, once assembled, is not shaken, but becomes even more interesting; each piece of glass has a gradient, its own color changes. The thing is in its depth, color and richness, which no one(including Michel Almairac) can repeat. And this color, depth and brightness, are the main reasons for the unreal popularity of Rush in the 2000s - people hadn't experienced such a capacious formula that could describe the mood of the nineties and move it into a new form tin the 00s.

 

Posters of Gucci F/W 1999 collections

 

I know exactly what Rush became to me as a bright pop culture phenomenon of the 2000s, as the songs of Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, Victoria's Secret shows, "Sex and the City" - and he will be remembered the same way as them.

 

The trick is that we remember smells better than melodies or visual images, and so Red will be with us a little longer.

 

Did you wear Rush; do you wear it now? 

What is it for you?

A Melody of Rose Quartz and Serenity: Pantone's 2016 Colors as Scents

by: Roxana Villa

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

Here we are, almost one month into the start of another new year of the Julian-Gregorian calendar. Our friends at the Pantone Color System have deemed Rose Quartz (a soft pink) and Serenity (a pale violet) as the official colors of 2016.

It is the first time ever that the color maverick has chosen two shades blending into one. Although I personally do not see these two shades as a reflection of our current status here on Spaceship planet Earth, I do appreciate the concept of two colors that represent tranquility gently melding together. The choice feels more like a snapshot of what many of us gentle, peace loving souls hold in our hearts as what we wish to witness in 2016.

According to Pantone “Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”

As I contemplated these two hues in reference to scent, several ideas came to mind, specifically what would these two shades represent in terms of a fragrance or aromatic notes? In the art forms of visual, musical and aromatic art there are many parallel universes. Today lets look at the relationship of color to aromatic materials.

In 1992 Jeanne Rose devised the “Basic Seven Vocabulary of Odors”™ to help her students formulate a language for describing scent combined with a visual tool. This is not a fragrance wheel used to define fragrance families in perfume. The Vocabulary of Odors”™ is a system to describe notes that exist in any object containing a fragrance. For example when we inhale the scent of a collection of fresh fruits the note we primarily experience is fruity. Complex aromas contain dominant notes with subsidiary and back notes. The dominant note in a stargazer lily flower is floral with a subsidiary note of spice. The world of wine uses a similar classification scheme.

Jeanne Rose organized her system as follows:

Red = Floral
Orange = Fruity
Yellow = Citrus
Green = Green/Vegetative
Blue = Woody
Indigo = Herbaceous/Camphoraceous
Violet = Spice

This vocabulary can be further expanded, eventually including a list of 28 descriptive words. Floral, Powder, Honey, Oily/Fatty, Musk/Amber, Waxy, Fruity, Aldehyde, Hay, Citrus, Green, Vegetative, Conifer, Mint, Almond-like, Fungal, Marine, Moss, Wood, Smoke, Leather, Earth, Civet, Herbal, Camphor, Balsamic, Carmel and Spicy. Can you think of more? Here are some: Resinous, Rich, Edible or Gourmand, Agrestic (referring to rich hay-like notes), Animalic and Balsamic.

©GregSpalenka, http://www.spalenka.com/

"Just because we have a standard set of words doesn’t mean we should lock ourselves into a cage with them, instead let your imagination run wild with abandon and creativity."

During the perfume classes at my studio I have students smell scent strips blindly and then describe the fragrance before knowing what it is. This allows the right brain, creative mind to run free. One of my favorite scent descriptive words that has come out of these classes is “spooky” in relation to a dusty-earthy note. Just because we have a standard set of words doesn’t mean we should lock ourselves into a cage with them, instead let your imagination run wild with abandon and creativity.

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oil has dominant notes of Wood and Herbaceous/Camphoraceous with a back note of Green/Vegetal and a subsidiary note of Spice. Patchouli does not have a Fruity note, thus we would term Fruity as being absent. If we were using the twenty eight word vocabulary we would lead with the word Earthy and add Musk/Amber to our back or subsidiary note. It all depends “which” patchouli you are experiencing. Each patchouli will be different depending where it comes from (Indonesia, Madagascar or India) how it is produced (EO, C02 or absolute) and how old it is. An aged patchouli may have a dominant note of Floral compared to a really fresh, newly distilled patchouli that can be very Green/Vegetative.

Blue tansy (Tanacetum annuum)

Looping back now to pairing the hues of Rose Quartz and Serenity to fragrance my first thought was that the pink of Rose quartz is well represented by soft florals and the powder blue violet of Serenity aligns well with the watery notes of blue tansy (Moroccan chamomile). Using the color system we just learned, these are the hues that more closely relate to pink and cool powder blue:

Red = Floral Blue = Woody
Indigo = Herbaceous/Camphoraceous
Violet = Spice

Thus our beginning selection of a soft floral and blue tansy works well. Contemplating further and going through all my essences like a library catalogue in my mind, orris butter emerges as a beautiful melding of both these hues. Distilled from the roots of Iris pallida, this rare beauty has a balance of warm and sweet which brings to mind violet flowers and a moist earthy, balsamic wood note with hints of powder. There is great potential with the basic schematic of orris butter as our main base note uplifted by an accord featuring herbaceous blue tansy and another accord with gentle florals.

Iris Pallida

Now it's your turn! What building blocks do you suggest for a fragrance based on the 2016 Pantone colors, and why?

Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds Night

by: Sandra Raicevic Petrovic

The collection of fragrances by Elizabeth Taylor is expanded by another new edition, a successor to the popular White Diamonds, launched back in 1991. White Diamonds Night celebrates the world of glamour and offers a new fragrant interpretation which combines luminous citruses and an intoxicating floral bouquet of night flowers resting on a creamy and sensual base.

"Inspired by the iconic glamour and bold opulence of Elizabeth Taylor, White Diamonds Night is a luxurious new statement in fragrance. A scent that shimmers and sparkles with the magical allure of diamonds under the evening lights. Timeless. Magnetic. Unforgettable."

Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds Night opens with sparkling and glittering notes that depict iridescent diamonds under the light of night. Bitterness of bergamot and sunny drops of mandarin sparkle over floral notes of night blooming jasmine creating a sophisticated, lady-like charm. Opulence and luxury are depicted by zests of apricot and sweet freesia that complete the floral-fruity opening. Warmth and sensuality are depicted by musk, resins, creamy sandalwood and patchouli. 

White Diamonds Night is available as a 100ml Eau de Toilette priced at $68 USD. Flacons repeat the form of their antecedents and were designed in black color with a decoration around the neck of the bottle, with crystals lined up so as to present beauty and sparkle of diamonds. The outer carton is also black with discrete details in gold color, embellished with a bow with glittering crystals. The fragrance can be obtained at Belk.com; Boscovs.com;  HSN.com;  and Macys.com.

Friends-In-Fragrance: Interview with Rodrigo Flores-Roux And Yann Vasnier + Draw

There is a saying ‘don’t mix business with pleasure'. For most this adage holds true, but when we look at some of our dearest friends, it seems we have met a few through our jobs.

Meet Givaudaun perfumers Rodrigo Flores-Roux, who hails from Mexico City (his creations range from celebuscents to uber-niche fragrances and include Clinique’s Happy, all of John Varvatos’ scents, quite a few for Donna Karan, Six Scents Series 2 and 3, With Love Hilary Duff, two for Juicy Couture, Keiko Mecheri Ume, Houbigant Fougere Royale and Tom Ford Neroli Portofino) and Yann Vasnier, born in Rennes, Brittany, France (whose first fragrance was Comme de Garcon’s Red Palisander, and his body of work includes a few for Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs,including the 2009 Fifi Award winning Lola, Keiko Mecheri Gourmandises, three forParfums DelRae, two for Six Scents and four for Divine) Their accomplishments as perfumers are well-known. But it’s their real friendship, that puts the emphasis on the word friend in the phrase ‘friend-in-fragrance’, that sets them apart in the fragrance industry

Rodrigo, how did you and Yann meet? How did you become friends?

RODRIGO: the answer is actually twofold: I remember meeting Yann for the first time back in 1999 in Paris, at the Quest International offices. He struck me as incredibly stylish, but he was so shy and maybe I appeared as intimidating to him. Already I had heard from his mentor Francoise Caron that the guy was very talented, with a very precise vision towards perfume making, which of course I found very interesting.

 

Cut to 2003: Yann moves to New York from Paris and joins our small but formidable team at Quest New York. We clicked immediately: how couldn't we? Not only he was impressive in a colorful Emilio Pucci colorful shirt and slick Dior get-ups, I am always very receptive of knowledge and sensibility, of which Yann had tons. History has it that due to some renovations in the offices and the laboratory at that time, we had to share an office for a long while. We became very close and shared very important moments, some happy (new business wins), some emotionally intense (talking to each other about our relationships and families, and giving each other advice about them…) and some unfortunately less jolly, like a bit of an upset silence between us due to a misunderstanding while working on a project, which of course we overcame.

YANN AND RODRIGO: we are lucky and very happy all of this happened, we count on each other not only as a close friend and a great collaborator, but also, we consider that somehow, we are each other's accomplices and sidekicks in this industry!!

 Yann, what is Rodrigo's best quality? And vice versa Rodrigo?

YANN: Rodrigo is an amazing and funny storyteller and an incredible source of information, we call him Rodripedia!!

RODRIGO: Yann is a very well-mannered guy; I always appreciate his elegance and good manners.

Rodrigo, what irks you the most about Yann? And vice versa, Yann?

RODRIGO: Yann is almost impossible to please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YANN: Rodrigo thinks he is always right, which is even more annoying because he is right most of the time.

YANN AND RODRIGO: both of us are right!!!

 

 Which of you is the more mischievous?

YANN: I would say we can both be pretty mischievous at given times.

RODRIGO: Definitely Yann, I'm more of a rakish rogue, but Yann is more devious. He shoots a wham!! but always has this innocent air about him.

Favorite activity?

YANN: Party, party, party, enjoying house and techno-music and sprinkling it with tequila. (Editor’s note: as I am transcribing this Yann is at the Boom Boom Room in NYC)

RODRIGO: a combination of what Yann said above, of course, and also going to the gym and gawking at Italian sculpture.

  

Both of you have worked with three very talented designers…Marc Jacob,(YV) John Varvatos (RFR) and Tom Ford. Please give us some insight into their personalities and your involvement in their fragrances.

YANN: Marc Jacobs is really intuitive, a perfectionist and definitely knows what he wants. Tom Ford loves to seduce and it's very interesting that you can smell that energy in his taste.

RODRIGO: John's approach is unique: "I'll know it when I smell it…" and if I may add, I feel privileged as he listens to me a lot. I do the same and we communicate easily and freely. Tom conceives scent as the utmost expression of an art director, he is challenging and with incisive tastes. He will ask for something daring and will dare you to please him. It's always about seduction, and his starting point is always the perfect combination of sex and brains.

Your collaboration on Donna Karan Gold. How was it to work side by side?

RODRIGO AND YANN: Donna Karan Gold is actually the fruit of a "trifecta perfecta":Calice Becker originated the gorgeous lily accord, Yann made it wearable and domesticated it, and Rodrigo worked ad nauseam on the wet, dewy, lush top note. We three brought something important and priceless to this fragrance that unfortunately was overlooked. Too edgy for its time???

Rodrigo, 15 words to describe Yann?

RODRIGO: Kind, funny, handsome, refined, adorably snobbish, sensitive, nonchalant, a charmer, cultured, techno savvy, media-lover, fashionista, likes a party, a "tetu" (Editor's note: LOL en Francais, c'est vraiement drole) and "Chanelophile" to the extreme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yann, your turn… 15 words to describe Rodrigo?

YANN: Funny, warm, well educated, extroverted, outspoken, a story-teller, handsome, hairy(!!!!!), stubborn, aesthete, a refined decorator, leather-o-phile

Yann, If there is re-incarnation, what was Rodrigo in a past life?

YANN: a French bulldog, smart, assertive, cute, affectionate and muscular

And Rodrigo? Yann's former life..

RODRIGO: maybe he was Baron de Belmont , hmmm or a Egyptian cat… slick, sensuous and sexy.

 

I am sure you admire each other's work as perfumers. Which do you wish you created?

YANN: it`s a tie between Donna Karan Black Cashmere, John Varvatos Artisan and the gorgeous new Juicy Couture Peace, Love and Juicy!

RODRIGO: Yann's L'Homme Sage by Divine strikes a chord (is it the leather feeling?) and I enjoy wearing BANG very much. And I am always amazed at the animalic beauty of Tom Ford's Urban Musk.

Do either of you see yourselves doing what Francis Kurkdjian and Mark Buxton have done…start your own perfume line?

YANN: There are so many brands on the market already that the concept would have to be really fresh, new and different and with outstanding fragrances and as we have the chance to do that with our beloved brands like Tom Ford, DelRae, Divine etc… I don't really see the need.

RODRIGO: Agree… so much gravitas is needed that it's frightening to see how many brands just seem glib and land short.

What is Yann's quirkiest characteristic?

RODRIGO: Yann's ability to say "I don't like this" without any qualms!!!

What is Rodrigo's?

YANN: Rodrigo re-defines himself every day, he is one true "original of originals"…

Rodrigo, favorite restaurant in Paris?

RODRIGO: There are so many: I love Chez Julien on the Seine, in front of l'Ile Saint Louis. I wept of pleasure at Lucas Carton, before being transformed into Sanderans. Le Voltaire on Quai Voltaire makes me nostalgic and I love the endless handwritten menu and enjoy Thierry the waiter's dry sense of humor, and I was blown away at Arpege…

Yann, favorite restaurant in NYC?

YANN: Marea, for its delicious and finest seafood… and of course it’s simple but sophisticated service Bar Breton and Chef Cyril Renaud's catering when I`m homesick… and Madeleine for the taste of the best macaroons ever

What are you both working on next…

YANN AND RODRIGO: Currently, we are working on a perfume line with a good friend of ours who has an inmense knowledge of history. His ideas are scent evocations of a given moment and place, laden with precise historical "frames”, but still, alluring and seductive. We will reveal more about this exciting new concept in a near future. One thing we can say: we are loving this project.

– Michelyn Camen, Editor-In Chief

As if this interview wasn’t a draw in itself, well, what can we say? How about a fragrance draw for our readers, courtesy of Yann Vasnier and Parfums DelRae…1.7 oz of Coup de Foudre. To be eligble just enter a comment onsite. Draw closed December 16, 2010 at midnite

Smoky Eyes and Smoky Perfumes: The Allure of Scents That Smoulder

Photo: 1995 Bruno Bisang Carmen (re-imaged by TSF)

The allure of a smoky eye is smoulder, the eye as ember. They say the eyes never lie, so surrounding the ocular window with haze and fumy chromatics offers some small shadow for subterfuge. The classic smoky eye is layers of the same hue in different tones, built on lid, brow bone, socket and lash lines to accentuate and shade, adding accent and intensity to the gaze. It is a look we find especially alluring in our stars. Four of my personal favourites are Eva Green, Brigitte Bardot, Anna Karina and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan; I wanted to imagine them in smoke and shadow, fumy incense  perfumes.

Eva Green and Comme des Garçons Avignon Series 3

Eva Green’s French/Swedish heritage perhaps explains an unsettling blend of Gallic promise and arctic disdain. She seems perpetually wrapped in guilt; many of her performances are about the burden of secrets. Her role as Vesper Lynd in the 2006 reboot of Casino Royale is a tragic one, conflicted and betrayed, unsure who to trust until it really too late. She looks astonishing in the Casino scenes; in a clinging burgundy dress the colour of spilt altar wine. What else would she be wearing but Bertrand Duchaufour’s echoing Avignon by Comme des Garçons, a parched mix of incense, patchouli and ambrette sweetened with chamomile and vanilla? Vesper’s eyes seem inherently melancholy as she moves towards her fate, this mysterious undulation of avant-garde smoke following her like a desolate prayer.

Tom Ford Sahara Noir and Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is a legend, but also a woman who created an image of blonde, tousled iconography and expected to live with that forever. She has aged defiantly without knives and silicone, a breast cancer survivor living among her beloved animals. She was at her most beautiful in her 30s, weariness translating into an luminescence that made her seem somehow more radiant. Shalako is an offbeat 1968 western with Bardot playing a French Countess named Irina Lazaar on a strange hunting party expedition in the American West. Cigar chewing, gun-toting and garbed in boots and holsters, veils and hunting attire, she seems like one of Andy Warhol’s jet set factory girls lost in the hot desert sun. For Brigitte, I chose Tom Ford's  big and ballsy Sahara Noir by Rodrigo Flores-Roux, a bone-dry essay in incense. It’s a huge, sensuous, shoot from the hip aroma with beeswax, rose, cedar, cypress, papyrus, spices and a golden amber glow in the base to stop the composition drying out. A whiff of cordite in the sun, perfect for Countess Lazaar.

Anna Karina and Jovoy Liturgie des Heures

Anna Karina’s mournful beauty is an iconic part of Nouvelle Vague cinema.  Jean Luc Godard’s muse (and briefly his wife) appeared in a number of classics such as Une Femme est Une Femmeand Pierrot Le Fou. Images of her haunt me.  She was a woman of her time, liberated and lost. InAlphaville Anna Karina's strange beatnik beauty embodies love and conscience, disabling a soulless future city. Her final words in the film ‘Je vous aime’ (I love you) are very moving. I dusted her in Jovoy’s Liturgie des Heures by Jaques Flori, a scent of vampiric turned earth and incense shot through the sun’s stained glass rays. Cypress, musks and myrrh make this holy aroma minimalist and coldly aloof. An ideal match for one of cinema’s most enigmatic faces.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and CHANEL Cormandel

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is surely one of the world’s most beautiful women. A Miss World winner in 1994, her Indian heritage and startling blue eyes have made her one of the most desired women in the world. Renowned for her dignity and poise, Aishwarya has remained relatively aloof from the hurly-burly glitz of the movie industry yet starring roles in huge box office successes like Devdasand Jodhaa Akbar have ensured her place in Bollywood history. She would wear a  perfume with mystery and classicism and so I  turned to the Chanel Exclusifs Collection and Coromandel, inspired by the Chinese lacquer screens so beloved by Coco Chanel. Coromandel is a beguiling mix of creamy woods and dry frankincense that burn softly over a truly sensual base of aurous amber, benzoin and vanilla. The glow of bitter orange in the top is like sun setting on water. This scent has the colours and textures of Bollywood and a serenity that seems innate in the radiance of this graceful woman.

All these smokey-eyed icons, dream girls swathed in smoke and incense. Per fumum.. through smoke. Eva, Brigitte, Aishwayra and Anna. Goddesses of celluloid and retrospection, symbols of modern desire, here’s smoke in your eyes.

–  Sr Editor, The Silver Fox and Editor of The Silver Fox

Editorial Direction: Michelyn Camen Editor in Chief

Shakira Pop Rock!

by: Sanja Pekic

Pop Rock! is the third fragrance from the Rock! by Shakiracollection, launched in early 2016. It is preceded by the original Rock! from 2014 andLove Rock! from 2015. The new perfume is a limited edition that supposedly reflects the natural and pure energy of the singer, inspired by an explosion of energy and color on the scene.

“The concert reaches a crescendo… An explosion of color and energy bursts from the stage. The volume intensifies and passions are unleashed. The crowd is powerless to resist Pop Rock! by Shakira.”

The composition begins with notes of juicy mandarin, black currant, pear and peach. The heart blends floral notes of gardenia, Bulgarian rose and jasmine with a strong raspberry fruity character. Woody notes of patchouli and cedar end the composition together with musk and amber.

Top notes: mandarin, black currant, pear, peach Heart: gardenia, jasmine, rose, raspberry Base: patchouli, cedar, amber, musk

The fragrance is available as a 50 and 80 ml Eau de Toilette.
 

Interview with Stéphanie Bakouche – L’Artisan Parfumeur Perfumer & Fragrance Development Manager + Rose Privee and MDCI Invasion Barbare Draw

Stéphanie Bakouche

I had the pleasure of talking with Stéphanie Bakouche above the picturesque village of Cabris (near Grasse), in the Roudnitska gardens and home to Art et Parfum and Accords et Parfums. The setting was redolent with French perfume history and couldn’t have been more perfect.  Holding the interview in Michel Roudnitska’s gardens felt very special.

Michel Roudnitska and Edmond Roudnistka

These were the gardens that acclaimed perfumer Edmond Roudnitska nurtured into being and lived with his wife Thérèse, who was the inspiration for Le Parfum de Therese, (now housed in theEditions de Parfum Frederic Malle) and son Michel. Edmond Roudnitska is of course considered one of the best noses in history with the creation of Diorissimo ,Eau Sauvage for Dior and Femme (Rochas) among many others. Of course Michel Roudnistska  is also a perfumer with Magnolia Grandiflora Michel (Grandiflora) Noir Epices (Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle) and Bois de Paradis (Parfums Del Rae) just a few amongst his own body of work; he is also a pioneer in ambient scenting and a shaman.

Photos taken by Megan at the Roudnistka Gardens  Estate in Cabris Stephanie with Olivier Maure

Thanks also to Olivier Maure for the welcome and walk around the beautiful gardens. This article is a result of our conversation at Cabris and additional written material from Stéphanie.This article is a result of our conversation at Cabris and additional written material from Stéphanie.

Stephanie in front of thte “T” shaped pool Edmond Roudnistka constructed for his wife Therese

Stéphanie Bakouche is a young perfumer with a difference, as this is only one of the myriad parts of her role at L’Artisan Parfumeur. She’s 35 years of age, grew up in Paris and has lived there all her life until her recent shift to Grasse. Stéphanie has a passion for working not only as a perfumer but also in the industry as a Fragrance Development Manager.  In this sense, it could be said that her journey follows a different path to other classically trained perfumers. Stéphanie’s insights offer a unique and intriguing take on the road less travelled.

Stephanie Bakouche at 4 years old in Casablanca and at the Osmotheque 2006 (26 years old)  

The Early Years

SB: I had always been unable to explain why I’ve always wanted to create perfumes. There is no perfumer or artist of any kind in my family. I don’t look for an answer anymore. I just believe we all have our specific angels bending on our cradles. That we have absolutely no control on.My chance was to discover the existence of ISIPCA early enough to take the right direction in my studies, a scientific Baccalaureate and enter University for a degree in chemistry that would enable me to take the ISIPCA contest. That was all I wanted to do. You have to obtain your degree first and then it’s a two-year school. It’s in partnership with the University of Versailles so you have some lessons in common with other students in the university. You also have to know that you spend two months in the school, two months in a company for every two months for the two years at ISIPCA It is enriching. There are so many things to discover. It’s a passionate experience. You enter the world you have wanted to know for a long time and you discover everything.

You don’t become a perfumer after ISIPCA. It gives you bases, and it’s even more true now. Needing to work and make myself a living, I worked for various brands on the sales floor, for the launch of their new fragrances. I learned the market, the story of all brands … and slowly became quite a specialist in fragrance brands and in the perfume market in general. I began to be called for special missions training the Sephora staff or elaborating training manuals for Marionnaud. I took a bit of time to understand the relevance. You do this in parallel because you have to earn your living but it’s a good thing I did this. These experiences lasted 5 years. In between, two major encounters happened: the one with Bernard Bourgeois in Hermès, working side by side with him, Director of Fragrance laboratory for Hermès, was amazing. I was in charge on quality control of all perfume fabrications for Hermès, Cartier and Lalique, and I was there at the same time when Jean-Claude Ellena joined the brand, so I’ve had the great opportunity to work on the Hermessences developments.

Invasion Barbare for MDCI perfumes and Bataille de Fleurs for Cloon Keen Atelier

First Perfume Creations: Invasion Barbare for MDCI perfumes and Bataille de Fleurs for Cloon Keen Atelier

SB: I also met Claude Marchal (from MDCI) in 2005. I sent six fragrances … he came back to me, thrilled with one of my creations, and wanted no modifications. Invasion Barbare was born. Still one of the best sellers of the brand, this creation has made me a name in the industry, and I will never thank Claude Marchal enough for having trusted me at that time. I wanted the strength (of Invasion Barbare) to be very obvious. I wanted a modern fougère and I decided quite quickly to make it leathery and animalic with costus, and I used thyme, which is an aromatic leathery herb. I used a lot of spices and aromatic herbs and a lot of artemisia, and an overdose of thyme and then I spiced everything up. It’s a daring fragrance, it’s very strong and that’s why it’s successful in Russia. “This is the first fragrance by Stéphanie Bakouche … clearly a talent to watch … After ten minutes I uncurled my toes and relaxed: this thing was not done on the cheap, and is in fact one of the top two or three fragrances in this genre on the face of the earth.” (Luca Turin, in the A-Z Guide). It is thanks to this experience for instance that I have been known by Cloon Keen Atelier Director, Margaret Mangan, who, in turn, gave me carte blanche to create a new scent celebrating flowers. Bataille de Fleurs was born, a celebration to the Mimosa blooming in winter on the French Riviera. I took this as a challenge and that it would teach me a lot. And then little by little she (Margaret Mangan) fell in love with the mimosa that I created. She enjoyed this, a very very white fresh green watery almost marine scent.

Top Row: working with mai rose at the Art et Parfums laboratoryi n Cabris 2014

Bottom Row: Photos of Stephanie with Bertrand Duchaufour Press launch Rose Privee 2014 Paris

Working at L’Artisan Parfumeur as Fragrance Development Manager and Perfumer

SB:I was first hired as a trainer. I got a chance to learn about and become accustomed to this precious brand, learning every detail of each of its fragrances. I’m still in charge of the training manuals; how we build the story, tell our staff. I’m in the heart and the start of the discussion of the ideas of the fragrant launch. It’s like a creative director – propose ideas of future scents, olfactory mapping, gaps, something consistent to your range, and the trends and best sellers on market. I brief perfumers. I do smelling sessions with them also reworks of fragrances to respect IFRA. This is hell. Compliance is huge.

The Development of Rose Privée

SB: My aim as a perfumer is never to create anything that leaves people indifferent.  I want to give some emotion it can be good it can be bad but I want to have a strong reaction to it. You have to feel something. That’s a definition of a good creation – you give an emotion whatever it is. My idea and first samples have been welcomed by the team, so I kept on working on this fragrance for fourteen months, with the amazing luxury of having Bertrand Duchaufour as a Master Perfumer guide and Artistic Director. He mentored me all along. We wanted something extremely Mediterranean. I think the biggest challenge on this fragrance was to make it accessible and modern and it’s difficult when you’re doing a rose theme. We had the idea of lilac and this hint of magnolia that he taught me to use together with another rosy note.

Smelling a patchouli tree (she’s crazy about this scent!) MAY 2014 in the gardens of the MIP (Intermational Perfumery Museum)

The base is chypre, it has a hint of patchouli and I thought how could I make things sunny and keep the Mediterranean spirit in the base, and that’s where hay came from. And at this moment we thought that hay would replace oak moss in the chypre scheme and it’s a bit musky as well to make the base warm sensual and round. So that’s how its been constructed. It’s probably the most amazing development I’ll ever do having Bertrand Duchaufour as an Artistic Director and evaluator and of course as a Master Perfumer. It’s amazing to have this luxury to have Bertrand guiding you in the steps of your development.  And it’s true that the ideas for the composition were my ideas but his help has been absolutely priceless. He’s also someone who absolutely teaches us to work in a direction where there’s no use of doing very long formulas. He really taught me to make ingredients breathe. I like to make personality out of each of my creations I tend to exaggerate, maybe to put too much of this our that and he taught me so well how to enhance this facet.  You don’t need to put more you need to play on the contrast and this was very useful.

 Favourite Perfumes and Scents

Spices Morrocan Souk from Lextolexicom

SB: I think all the holidays I spent in Morocco. I had my grandparents there and I spent my summers there. I think the scents of the souks, the spices, the woods, the Atlas cedar wood, the craftsmen in the streets.  You walk there and you smell this smoky woody scent all around. I love spicy woody oriental scents. I can’t express nor explain my passion for patchouli and the amazing feelings this scent wakes up inside of me. I love iris, cedar wood and jasmine, leathery and musky notes, the richness of spices such as cumin, curcuma (turmeric) and the vibrating freshness of cardamom.  The deep leathery facet of narcissus, the surprising complexity of osmanthus.

Photo:Tama Blough Esxence 2014 Or du Serail Naomi Goodsir

I love Serge Lutens fragrances and admire Christopher Sheldrake. I really love Kenzo Amour. It’s a doudou (something children sleep with to comfort them). I’m so crazy about Gucci Pour Homme.  It’s smoky.  Also some classical ones.  I admire  Guerlain Mitsouko, CHANEL No 19.  GUERLAIN Heritage is the most amazing masculine. I’m part of the Osmothèque and so I have the chance to smell rare fragrances and I’m crazy about iris and I’m probably going to get a tattoo of one soon.  Iris Gris from Jacques Fath I would die for and Bertrand said he has the formula and now he can’t find it.  I keep some hope. There’s also a beautiful niche brand that was created by Naomi Goodsir.  Bertrand created Or du Serail, it’s an amazing tobacco it has everything but it breathes.  It’s sugary, tobacco, leathery, woody.  It has a sillage with this one. I make every person smell it. For me this an amazing perfume.

Stephanie March 2015 Roudnitska gardens

Stéphanie’s Future

For now I am of course exclusive to L’Artisan Parfumeur so if I remain as the Manager of Fragrance Development and once every year I launch one perfume I would love this. I’m conscious that I have an amazing chance to do both. Such a key position in the marketing team and being a perfumer at the same time. But definitely I would like my future to be more creative with L’Artisan Parfumeur, but I’m having so much fun as a Manager of Fragrance Development with Bertrand, working with him.”

 Megan Paki, Senior Contributor CaFleureBon and Editor of Megan In Sainte Maxime

Thanks to L’Artisan Parfumeur we have  a 100 ml bottle of Rose Privee for a US or CanadianRegistered Reader

and

 Thanks to Claude Marchal of MDCI we have a 75 ml  flacon of Invasion Barbare for a registered reader in the US or Eu.

To be eligible, be sure to register. Please leave a detailed comment with what you found fascinating about Stephanie Bakouche, (a quote, something you will remember about this interview), where you live and your choice of fragrance.  Draw closes June 27, 2015.

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